To further develop their performance on stage, the Mapúa Concert Singers (MCS) contended in the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) Annual Choral Competition last December 15-19, 2009. The five-day event was held at the Aliw Theater, Star City Complex.

Among the 90 choirs who auditioned and competed, MCS was one of the 24 six groups who made it to the Semi-Final round. Choral es from different universities and sectors all over the country such as University of the Visayas, Tarlac State University, St. Louis University of Baguio, Coro Animo (Alumni Choir of De La Salle University), and Coro San Benildo (De La Salle College of St. Benilde) participated in the contest.

With the event’s title “Paskong Pinoy,” the contestants had to sing Pasko na Sinta Ko in the Open Category as part of the Christmas theme of the contest. Along with the required song, two more pieces were performed by each participant for different categories. MCS rendered Orde-e for the Novelty Category and Richte Mich Gott as their choice piece for the final round.

On the fifth day, the University of the Visayas Choral, St. Louis University of Baguio Choral , and Coro Animo and Koro Ilustrado were awarded as the Champion, 1st, 2nd and 3rd runners-up, respectively. Professional individuals in the music industry, including The Company member Moy Ortiz, UST Singers Conductor Fidel Calalang, Jr., Ateneo Chamber Singers Conductor Prof. Jonathan Velasco, and Lead Me Lord composer Arnel de Pano, judged for the said competition.

As of the moment, MCS is preparing for Orientale Concentus III, a competition that will be held this July in Yil an, Taiwan. “This time, sasali kami ng competition ng mas ready, mas may passion, mas may confidence and more perfect,” assured MCS President Glenn Aquisap. Future activities of the group include the Mundawit Choral Festival on April and MCS 10th Anniversary Concert on May.

Engr. Reginald Bautista, a Civil Engineering (CE) graduate of Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT), received high remarks as he placed first in the Cadet Engineer Program offered by Maynilad Water Services.

The six-month training program aimed to familiarize licensed Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Electronics and Communication and selected Industrial engineers to the various processes and jobs done in Maynilad.

Having graduated from MIT on May 2008, Bautista joined the program last May 2009 and underwent sessions inside the classroom and field trips during the first three weeks of the training. He, along with other engineers, was oriented about the basic things they need to know about the organization. They also attended workshops which practiced their communication among other workers.

In the next four months of the program, they were allotted jobs to work first-hand in water production and networks, central laboratory, non-revenue water, business areas, program management, sewerage, and sanitation to prepare the cadet engineers in the different areas of the company. During the last few weeks, the participants were required to come up with a final project which they defended in front of a panel.

The ones who attained a noteworthy performance during the program were given the opportunity to become a part of Maynilad. Bautista, being the top cadet of the program, became a Program Management Engineer in the Planning Department of Maynilad which specializes in technical research.

When asked about his topping in the program, he shared that he did not really expect the outcome because almost everyone in their batch were board top notchers. “All you really have to do is to love what you’re doing. Go early to work as well, love your workmates and be humble,” said Bautista.

For many years, the Institute’s reputation is solely based on the quality of its Engineering graduates. Now, Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT) parlays into a broader field of specialization that even the world begins to take notice as Mapúans takes on the world’s center stage.

Expanding Borders

Following the lead of the School of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering (EECE), seven programs coming from both Intramuros and Makati campuses will apply for Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) recognition this year. The programs which are waiting for their evaluation forms to be reviewed are Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental & Sanitary Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology. Only then will the candidacy for accreditation be official.

The following is a list of the general criteria for baccalaureate level programs: students, program educational objectives, program outcomes, continuous improvement, curriculum, faculty, facilities, and support and program criteria. ABET comprises separate Accreditation Commission for Engineering and Information Technology. “Kailangan pa natin aralin ang mga requirements for IT dahil unlike engineering, wala pa tayong experience diyan,” said Director for Continuous Quality Improvement Office Engr. Conrado Navalta.

Exploring Uncharted Territories

Breaking new grounds is the Mapúa Debate Corps (MDC), coming off from a commendable performance in past competitions such as the National Debate Championships, the group recently concluded the 30th World Universities Debate Championships held in Antalya Turkey, East Europe last December 26, 2009 to January 4, 2010. The nine-day event devoted for competitive debating is considered to be the biggest and most prestigious debate competition.

The Philippines sent off three schools recognized having the top debate organizations in the country, namely Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and Mapúa Institute of Technology. Founding President Rolan Marco Garcia and Team Captain Luis Angelo Sevilla represented Mapúa in the said competition. The team, in preparation for the competition, regularly competes in the various debating competitions around the Metro.

One of the competitions the squad joined was the Intramuros Debate Championship (IDC) last January 28-29. Bagging the gold was MIT Team-C composed of Darwin Floyd Bruto (ME-3), Timothy Figueroa (ECE-3) and Michael Au Yeung (IT-2) while Garcia was hailed best speaker in the competition. Adjudicating the competition was excellent debaters in their own rights, Jayson Gaspar Maulit (San Beda), Don Stanly Dalisay (UP Manila) Jesus Falcis. Contributing in the said event was the school of Languages, Humanities and Social Sciences and the MIT-Administration.

After a number of triumphant competitions against the best schools around the country and across the world, the team has proven their prowess in debating. From its humble beginnings into an international contender, the group has competed in various debate competitions worldwide. Their next set will be held at London, England for the London Australs on late March. MDC is also preparing for the 31st World Universities Debate Championships to be held in the University of Botswana, South Africa. “In the hope of teaching students that there is so much more than just mathematics, you should open your eyes to a lot of different things,” said Garcia.

All Set for the World

Atalanta, a team comprised of Mechanical Engineering students, will be representing Mapúa in the upcoming Shell Eco-Marathon set at Sepang International Circuit on July 6-11. The competition began in 1939 when a group of scientists in Shell’s research laboratory had a friendly wager to see which of their cars can get the most mileage. Soon the bet turned to an organized competition that went overseas from Europe to America and now the inaugural event in Asia will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Contestants from all over the continent will attempt to develop new approaches and introduce new concepts to sustainable mobility and maximizing a car’s efficiency.

Team Atalanta took the challenge of building an eco friendly car that travels in the least amount of fuel over a certain distance. Recent updates on the car’s completion include the group finishing the necessary chassis that would be used for the car. The team predicted the eco friendly car to be finished before the end of February with time to spare before the sendoff.

Modeling the eco-car to a more aerodynamic form, the team chose a tear drop design for their prototype. Such design reduces the amount of friction on the surface of the car, maximizing the car’s aerodynamic potential. The challenge lied in the melding of the different Engineering Subjects. The project attracted the interest of the School Mechanical Engineering and its students because it gave them the chance to demonstrate their expertise on building and designing. “We’re proud as Mapúans and as Filipinos to be one of the representatives of the country,” said team captain Jericho Paolo Rivera.

The School of Architecture, Industrial Design & the Built Environment recently participated in the International Furniture Fair 2010/27th ASEAN Furniture Show held last 09-12 March 2010 at the Singapore Expo. 4It features 434 exhibitors from 30 countries, occupying six halls and 60,000 sqm of exhibition space. The group, named "industrial design mapúa" for this event is composed of senior BSID students namely: Loren Lyle Tadalan, Geraldine Gonzales, and Irynne Maganis, with Derek Nicolas and Omar Oaper as advisers. They exhibited a furniture and furnishings collection as an exhibitor in Platform, an initiative aimed to provide more opportunities for international manufacturers to discover marketable designs and emerging furniture designers in the region. Eleven booths with new prototypes are presented by design cooperatives, schools and upstart firms from the Philippines, Singapore, Iceland, and Thailand. Singapore's Trade & Industry Minister, Lim Hng Kiang officially opened the trade show in a colorful ceremony.

Aside for the 3-pc furniture collection, 4 furnishing items from Derek Nicolas' craft design class are exhibited, combining the lowly "trapo" or rags made from garments scraps with stailess steel. Inspired by the "upcyling" initiative by a social enterprise with their bags and accessories, the collection merges environmental accountability, social resposibility, and material reinvention with the staple design innovation.

The group also attended the SFIC 5th Design Conversations held on the second day of the event with Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa and Thailand's Design & Objects Association president Somchai Thanapolkiat as guest speakers.

Back-to-Back :Setting a record, the Mapúa ECE Cisco Track Team - Basic Category was hailed as the 2010 CISCO National Skills Competition Winners, retaining the championship title made by last year’s contestants.

Jian Carlo Zapata (ECE-4), team captain, was awarded as the Second Highest Individual Scorer in the Written Exam Category. Zapata was joined by Agatha Marie Alarilla (ECE-3) and William Regala, Jr. (ECE-4). John Mark Cornilla, CCNP, mentored the team to victory. Winners were awarded with P15000.00 cash prize and Linksys routers courtesy of CISCO Philippines.

http://www.mapua.edu.ph/News/Images/cisco%20track%20basic.jpgMapúa ECE Cisco Track Basic Category – Champion for the second straight year

The team from the Advanced Category, composed of Armel Jason Gabrinao (ECE-4), Kenneth Pacis (ECE-4), and Gemric Sheldon Sumague bagged Second Runner-up in 2010 CISCO National Skills contest and was awarded with P10000.00 cash prize. Engr. Emma-Ruth Tiong coached the Advanced Category team.

http://www.mapua.edu.ph/News/Images/Cisco%20Advance%20Track.jpgMapúa ECE Cisco Track Advanced Category – Second Runner up on the Cisco Skills National Competition

Before emerging as National Skills Finalists, the Basic Category from Mapúa-Intramuros was awarded as Cluster winners in Manila Cluster and the Advanced Category took the Finalist slot as a Wildcard Entry.

The CISCO Skills Competition is an annual project funded by the CISCO Core Council of the Philippines, Inc., in cooperation with CISCO Philippines. It aims to promote IT awareness to IT and engineering students and showcase the skills and knowledge of students pursuing CISCO networking courses.

MANILA, Philippines - Setting a record as back-to-back champions, the Mapua ECE Cisco Track Team-Basic Category was hailed as the 2010 CISCO National Skills Competition winners, retaining the championship title made by last year’s contestants. Jian Carlo Zapata (ECE-4), team captain, was awarded as the Second Highest Individual Scorer in the Written Exam Category. Zapata was joined by Agatha Marie Alarilla (ECE-3) and William Regala Jr. (ECE-4). John Mark Cornilla, CCNP, mentored the team to victory. Winners were awarded with P15,000 cash prize and Linksys routers courtesy of CISCO Philippines. The team from the Advanced Category, composed of Armel Jason Gabrinao (ECE-4), Kenneth Pacis (ECE-4), and Gemric Sheldon Sumague bagged second runner-up in 2010 CISCO National Skills contest and was awarded with P10,000 cash prize. Engr. Emma-Ruth Tiong coached the Advanced Category team. To date, Mapúa Institute of Technology has been acclaimed as the only academy to offer Instructor Training for CCNA Security, being the sole CISCO Academy Training Center for CCNA Security in South Asia.

As a move towards realizing its vision to be an international center of excellence in engineering education, MAPÚA has been determinedly pursuing accreditation for its engineering programs with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET). ABET is the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and technology in the United States. CQIO spearheads efforts for the non-domestic accreditation of MAPÚA’s engineering and information technology programs with ABET.

Year 2009 saw the application and evaluation of the Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Engineering (CpE), and Electronics Engineering (ECE) programs by ABET. Decisions on the accreditation of these programs are expected to be released by ABET in 2010.

In January 2010, five other engineering programs and two IT programs applied for non-domestic accreditation with ABET. Campus visits of these programs are expected on the months of September to December of 2010.

ABET accreditation is an assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established for the profession for which it prepares its students. ABET accredits programs only, not degrees, departments, colleges or institutions

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINESMAIN- STA. MESA 26%
CENTRAL COLLEGES OF THE PHILIPPINES 25%
COLEGIO DE DAGUPAN 25%
FEU-EAST ASIACOLLEGE 25%
LYCEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES UNIVERSITYMANILA 25%
HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY 23%
UNIVERSITY OF THE EASTMANILA 23%
UNIVERSITY OF SAN JOSERECOLETOS 21%
DON BOSCO TECHNICAL COLLEGEMANDALUYONG 20%
CAGAYAN STATE UNIVERSITYTUGUEGARAO 18%
TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINESQUEZON CITY 17%
RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 14%
TARLAC STATE UNIVERSITY 14%
UNIVERSITY OF THE EASTCALOOCAN 13%
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINESCABANATUAN CITY 13%
SAINT MARY'S UNIVERSITY 12%
NEW ERA UNIVERSITY 11%
COLUMBAN COLLEGEOLONGAPO CITY 10%
LAGUNA STATE POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE-STA. CRUZ 10%
TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINESMANILA 9%
UNIVERSITY OF THE VISAYASCEBU 9%
LYCEUM NORTHWESTERN 8%
AMA COMPUTERCOLLEGEMAKATI CITY 7%
AQUINAS UNIVERSITY 5%
UNIVERSITY OF BAGUIO 4%
LICEO DE CAGAYAN UNIVERSITY 0%

Purpose
To maintain, improve and increase the knowledge, ability and competence of technologists and technicians; to regulate the standards of training and practice of, and for, its members, and to protect the interests of the public.

Vision:
ASTTBC is the model association for technology professionals.

Mission:
To serve the public by regulating and supporting Technology Professionals’ commitment to a safe, healthy, and sustainable society and environment.

Goals:
* Self governing professional legislation and regulation that protects the public interest.
* Assured rights to practice and utilization of qualifications within the scope of the Technology Professionals’ education, training and experience.
* Professional standards and regulation for certification, accreditation, ethics and accountability that reflect contemporary social expectations.
* Consistent and universal recognition of Technology Professionals by employers, governments, other professionals and regulatory bodies.
* Member services that enhance professional, career, business and personal interests.
* Technology education and careers are valued and supported.
* The association and its members are involved as key stakeholders and contributors to public policy in areas in which Technology Professionals have a demonstrated interest and expertise.
* Sustained excellence in governance and management of the association.

History
Incorporated under the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians Act (ASTT Act) in 1985. Established in 1958 by technicians and technologists in the fields of engineering and architecture, ASTTBC has expanded to sixteen disciplines and nine special certifications in the broad field of applied science

From among 81 teams and 10 countries across Asia, Thailand and Singapore emerged tops, setting new fuel-efficiency records at the inaugural Shell Eco-marathon Asia, held at the Sepang F1 circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The record of 1,521.9 kilometres on a litre of fuel set by a Thai team was enough to cover a distance from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok.

It even surpassed the record set by the winning team at a similar event held in Houston, Texas in March, of 2,487.5 miles per gallon, equivalent to 1,057.5 kilometres per litre.

In the Urban Concept Category, a team from the National University of Singapore using hydrogen fuel was tops with a distance of 612.4 kilometres/litre.

The kick-off of the event in Asia last Thursday made the Shell Eco-marathon a truly global event for the first time. It has been running in Europe since 1985 and the United States since 2007.

The annual competition challenges students to design, build and drive a vehicle that can travel the furthest distance on the least amount of fuel.

A late surge from Thailand’s Army Transportation Engineering School (ATE-1) saw it outdistanced the rest of the teams in the Prototype Category.

Up to the last hour of the event, Japan’s Clean Diesel Team was leading the way with 1,235.1 kilometres/litre, when the Thai team came from behind to set the record on their fifth and final attempt.

“In our first two track runs our car broke down, and our third and fourth attempts were also invalidated. But we did not give up on our goal of finishing number one,” said Kittiwong Kaewbumrung, driver of Thailand’s ATE-1 Team.

Aside from cleaning their clutch and transmission gear, the team also applied the driving strategies such as minimising the time they turned on their engine to save fuel and to make use of the shape of the track to assist in making turns.

For the Urban Concept category, teams entered more "roadworthy" fuel-efficient vehicles. Aimed at meeting the real-life needs of drivers, these vehicles are closer in appearance to the cars seen on roads today. For both categories, teams can use any conventionally available energy source – including fuels such as diesel, gasoline and liquid petroleum gas (LPG), as well as alternative fuels such as hydrogen, biomass and solar.

James Tseng, Senior Team Member of the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Urban Concept team, attributed their exemplary teamwork for their victory in the Shell Eco-marathon Urban Concept Category.

“Each member of the team really contributed and did the job to the best of their ability,” said Tseng.
Speaking after he launched the event on Thursday (July 8) afternoon, Shell Executive Vice President for Global Business to Business and Lubricants Tan Chong Meng, said:”We have really seen some cutting edge ideas in action - clever vehicle designs, innovative use of energy types, good fuels, lubricants and smart driving habits. Some of the vehicles look like capsules or pencils, with sleek lines for minimal resistance and drag. I can’t help noticing that the drivers are often the most petit ladies who can be persuaded to squeeze into the confines of the vehicles to keep its weight low.

“What these young minds are doing is not very different from what we at Shell are also striving to do to meet the world’s growing demand for energy, with mobility being one key part of this. We call this quest ‘smarter mobility’”

For the first Asian run of the event about 80 per cent of the teams made it on to the track, comparable to teams who participate in Europe and the United States. While many of the teams were participating for the first time, standards for design and aesthetics of the cars were high, said Norman Koch, Engine and Vehicle Technology Manager for Shell Global Solutions.

“What was most striking was the level of enthusiasm and commitment of the participating schools which I believe is as high, if not even higher, than the other regions that held the Shell Eco-marathon,” he added.

Other than the Shell Eco-marathon On Track Awards for Prototype and Urban Concept Vehicles, Off Track Awards were also given for Safety, Technical Innovation, Communications and Marketing.

“The Off Track Awards complement the Shell Eco-marathon Track Awards because the competition is a total perspective.

“While the cars are tested for their fuel efficiency, it is also important that the students work in a safe manner, articulate their thoughts well, demonstrate innovation in their design and have teamwork,” Azman Ismail, Managing Director, Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and Chief Judge of the Off Track Awards said.

“Everyone is very competitive, but what we see on site is what swung our decision,” Ismail added.

For the Safety Award, first place was given to NUS Urban Concept of National University of Singapore. Second place went to Philippines’ Atalanta of Mapua Institute of Technology and third place went to Autodesk Zeal Eco-Power of China’s Tongji University.

The winners were selected based on the safety features of their vehicles and the way they had practiced safety in their work areas. “Safety is vital to us because human resource is vital. We don’t want any of our team members to be injured,” Tan Bor Yow, NUS Urban Concept Team Leader said.

In addition to the 3 safety awards, the judges also gave Special Recognition to Malaysia’s Team Piston 1 of University of Malaya and Philippines’ Team Grigio of Don Bosco Technical College for demonstrating safety compliance during the three days of the competition.

NUS Urban Concept of National University of Singapore also bagged the Technical Innovation Award while Autodesk Zeal Eco-Power of Tongji University also won the Communications and Marketing Award.

“This is a brilliant event, a result of outstanding planning and sharing of learnings across the different Shell Eco-marathon events, making the competition truly on a global level. The number and quality of teams were exceptional, as well as their general organisation and efficiency,” says Mark Singer, global manager for the Shell Ecomarathon.

The Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2010 is supported by our global sponsors Autodesk and Michelin. Local sponsors include Sepang International Circuit, Malaysian Airlines, Ericsson, Celcom, Leeden, Uvex and Red Wing Shoes. We wish to thank all our partners for working closely with us to make this a safe and successful event.

MANILA, Philippines - At the first Shell Eco-marathon Asia at the F1 Sepang Race Track in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Mapua Institute of Technology aimed modestly, a 200km/L for their test runs before the competition.

“Some of the Malaysians were asking us why we were celebrating. We’re just grateful that after all the hard work, we completed the run with our team intact,” Mapua team leader Jericho Rivera says.

Eventually, Mapua emerged 1st runner-up for the Off-Track Award for Safety, trailing NUS Urban Concept of the National University of Singapore. Second runner-up was China’s Tongji University.

Three Philipine teams competed at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia: Don Bosco Technical College, Mapua Institute of Technology and University of Santo Tomas (UST). All the teams brought home special awards at the competition, where 81 teams from 10 countries participated in the challenge to design, build and drive a vehicle that can travel the furthest distance on the least amount of fuel and lowest possible CO2 emissions.

Don Bosco Technical College also received a Special Recognition for demonstrating safety compliance during the three days of the competition. University of Malaya received the same citation.

The winners were selected on the basis of the safety features of their vehicles and the way the teams practiced safety in their work areas. The judges particularly noted that the Mapua team took effort to train on fuel’s safe handling and defensive driving prior to the competition.

“While the cars are tested for their fuel efficiency, it is also important that the students work in a safe manner, articulate their thoughts well, demonstrate innovation in their design, and have teamwork,” Azman Ismail, managing director, Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and chief judge of the Off Track Awards, said.

All three Philippine teams joined the prototype category for futuristic vehicles. The other category is for Urban Concept vehicles which focuses on the more conventional roadworthy four-wheel criteria.

Mapua Institute of Technology ranked ninth among 21 teams who entered the prototype category using gasoline as fuel, with a performance of 241km/L. University of Santo Tomas ranked 16th with 198km/L and Don Bosco Technical College, 17th with 141 km/L.

In acknowledgement of his important works and accomplishments in the areas of chemical thermodynamics and biosorption, Dr. Alvin R. Caparanga, Chair of Chemical Engineering and Program Coordinator of MS/PhD in Environmental Engineering Programs of Mapúa Institute of Technology, was named 2010 Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) in Environmental Engineering. The OYS award was handed to him and to 10 other researchers in different areas of science and technology on July 15, 2010 during the 32 nd Annual Meeting of the National Academy of Science in Technology (NAST) at Manila Hotel.

Dr. Caparanga’s research undertaking on the physical and thermodynamic properties of new or alternative solvent systems for carbon dioxide has contributed to the data bank of properties that are indispensable in the design of processes and equipment systems for carbon dioxide absorption during capture and sequestration. These are reported in many of the scientific and technical papers published in international peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics and Fluid Phase Equilibria). In addition, he also conducted a study on plastics recycling that was published in Waste Management, a respectable international peer-reviewed journal.

In the last three years, Dr. Caparanga has published sixteen (16) scientific and technical papers in international peer-reviewed journals including the five (5) papers published in January to May this year (2010). Six (6) of these papers are on thermodynamics of solvent systems for carbon dioxide absorption, two (2) on biosorption of heavy metals, and the rest on varied topics. He also published in refereed local journals research on biofuels and freeze concentration applications in food dewatering and waste water treatment. His research undertakings helped in the advancement of science and technology (S&T) in the country, as evidenced by his meritorious activities to promote S&T while serving the country through his varied interests in the field.

The OYS award is the most prestigious award given annually by NAST to deserving Filipino researchers under 40. This year’s prize includes a 500,000.00-peso research grant.

Charice Pempengco is confirmed that she’ll be joining Glee’s second season. Little that we know that she isn’t the only Filipina to join the show’s second chapter.

Meet Hazel Faith Dela Cruz, the winner of ETC’s Glee off to Hollywood. Aside from the chance to appear in Glee, she also receives $1000 pocket money, a tour of Fox Studios, a car service from the hotel to Paramount Studios (were they film Glee) and of course, an opportunity to meet the whole cast and crew of Glee.

http://www.mapua.edu.ph/News/Images/101008050337.pngMapúa School of ECE Advances to the 7th SMART Sweep Finals

Aliza Jane del Rosario, Timothy March Valerio and Julius Rommel Salud will represent Mapúa Institute of Technology as the the team qualifies to the 7th SMART Sweep Finals slated this March 2011.

The group's project entitled "Flood Alert System Using SMART SMS Technology aims to measure the height reached by flood, compute for the water increase rate, and send alerts via SMS. The alert will be sent to a web server for inquiries about the status of flood at a locality where the system is installed, and to a local government unit in charge in order to prioritize the certain localities that are in dire need of response due to disasters caused by flood. Decisions are made based on alert levels.

Among the 133 proposals submitted by various schools to SMART Communications, ten entries will compete for this year's P500,000 cash prize at stake. This year's project carries the theme "Empowering Communities through Wireless Technologies 2."

note: I believe this is the first time that Mapua joined the competition. Well, despite being a newbie, they advanced to Finals. Kudos!